


Sun Kissed Freckles | James Sirius Potter x Teddy Lupin

by Gwen_Myers



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Awkward Boners, Awkward Conversations, Birthday Presents, Birthday Sleepover, But it's only one scene, Cuddling, Fashion Don'ts, First Love, Flirting, Freckles, Homophobic Language, Last Love, Love Letters, M/M, New Year's Kiss, No Smut, Percy/Oliver, Pining, Scorbus, So you can probably skip over it, Sweet Sixteen, anti-Tedoire, book nerd, jeddy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-27 21:48:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16710652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gwen_Myers/pseuds/Gwen_Myers
Summary: James Sirius Potter and Edward “Teddy” Remus Lupin were always destined to be together. It was just a matter of getting there. First step, make sure the parents are okay with it. Second, wait out the whole age thing. And third, figure out what out what to deal with Victoire. Add in some teenage (and early-twenties) angst, the best and worst siblings you could ask for, and one bitch of a veela, and you have their story. You have this story.





	1. Pining, Broken Hearts, and Absolutely No Frottage

**Author's Note:**

> ⚠️IMPORTANT NOTES⚠️  
> \- There is some Victoire bashing in this chapter of the fanfic. Most of it is caused by jealousy, sibling rivalry, and protectiveness. She will be redeemed later in the fic. There are also a few homophobic slurs, so please do not read if those words may trigger you.  
> -Basically, just ignore that the epilogue exists, because I've changed Albus's name to Arthur, I've changed James' personality to a more quiet, quirky one, and Tedoire never happens.  
> -In this fic, James' birthday is mid-August.

**Pining, Broken Hearts, and Absolutely No Frottage**

James Potter was born covered from head-to-toe in freckles. He had deep reddish-brown hair, and warm brown eyes, and the only thing that indicated he wasn’t completely a Weasley was his Indian complexion (from his father’s side, of course). But none of those things were what a person noticed first when looking at him. No, what they saw first were his freckles.

James was never ashamed of his freckles. He saw the looks he got for them, from the disgusted squints indicating that someone believed he would be prettier without them, to the curious stares that indicated someone was wondering exactly how much him having freckles everywhere entailed. But he wasn’t ashamed of them, no, he reveled in the attention he got for them. He showed them off unabashedly; leaving his shirt off a little too long in the quidditch locker rooms, leaving half of his shirt unbuttoned when walking to breakfast (pretending that he had “forgotten” to button it up), and walking around the common room in only his boxers (much to the disgust of his little sister).

Despite his utter confidence in himself and his looks, James Potter only ever found one boy who loved him for all of it. He only ever found one boy who made it his mission to kiss every single freckle, and to reassure James that they didn’t make him ugly.

That boy was Teddy Lupin.

* * *

Teddy Lupin had always thought of Arthur and Lily as his siblings. He had always thought of Harry and Ginny as his parents (despite the fact they wanted him to think of Remus and Tonks as his parents). But it was different with James. It would always be different with James.

Not to say that he loved James from the second he first saw him, because honestly, he was seven when Harry and Ginny brought James home. But as he grew older, he realized that he felt differently about James then he did with Arthur or Lily. By the time James was fifteen, and Teddy was twenty-one, there was no denying it. Teddy Lupin fancied the pants off of a boy he was pretty sure he could never have.

Teddy Lupin loved James’ untameably messy red hair, and his warm brown eyes, and oh god… his freckles. He loved his easy smile and the specks of green in his eyes that you could find if you were looking in the right light and how no one could find even one square inch of James’ skin that wasn’t covered in freckles. He loved James’ endless appetite and how he always made finger guns at inappropriate times and how he could make the best burgers Teddy had ever tasted. Teddy Lupin loved James Sirius Potter.

And that meant he was fucking screwed.

* * *

James knew he was gay. It wasn’t something he hid or spent years pondering about. When he was thirteen, he came out, and that was that. But even then, he didn’t date. He didn’t do relationships or even one-night stands. Any time someone would ask why, he would say that he was waiting for the right person. Anybody who watched him interact with a certain blue haired boy would know he already had (that is, if they were paying enough attention).

Lily was the one who guessed it first. She thought of both Teddy and James as her big brothers, but that didn’t stop her from noticing the chemistry between them. She brought it up approximately ten minutes after James came out, when she snuck into his room. They were sitting on his bed, barely talking, and she tentatively asked, “So… Teddy?” She had no idea how to phrase the question. She just knew that James loved Teddy… and not as a big brother.

Arthur was the one who thought it next. After Lily had left James’ room, he had snuck in, and told James, “I think I am too. Gay, I mean. But I’m not sure. Don’t tell anybody.” He was nervous, and rambling, and James pulled him into the awkward type of hug that only brothers can seem to have. Arthur muttered, “So, I’m sure you can guess who my crush is,” he quickly coughed over the sound of his best friend’s name being spoken before continuing, “Can I guess who yours is?” He motioned to a picture on James’ bedside table, in which Teddy had his arm slung around the redhead’s shoulder. James just blushed in response.

Dominique was the one who knew next. She cornered him at a family gathering, glaring at him, and said, “I know you’re one of my best friends, which means I don’t like that you didn’t tell me that you liked him, but I’m warning you, my sister likes him too, and she always gets what she wants.” It wasn’t a question over who they were speaking about, because with one glance you could see who Victoire was fawning over. And so, James ran.

His father ran after him, wanting to know what had upset his son so much. They were at the Shell Cottage, and Harry followed his son out to one of the lower cliffs in the area. James was crying, sobbing even, harder than Harry had ever seen before. James heart was shattering as Harry wrapped his arms around him, and through the sobs, James confessed, “I like him Dad. I know I shouldn’t, but I like him.” Harry knew in an instant who his son was speaking about, but kept his mouth shut.

He knew that love wasn’t something that was planned.

* * *

Teddy knew that Victoire liked him. He simply wasn’t into her that way. And when he saw James look at them, look at how Victoire was draped all over him, and run; he knew. And he desperately wanted to chase after him, but one, Harry already had, two, he still hadn’t figured out exactly how he felt about the boy and didn’t want to confuse him, and three, James was fourteen, and he was twenty. It wasn’t right. James deserved someone younger, someone who wasn’t confused, someone who could love him openly and proudly. So, he stayed, sitting on that couch, with a girl he would never like’s body draped over his.

When James was fifteen, and Teddy knew for a fact that he loved him, the first person he told was Harry. They were in Harry’s home office, and Teddy said he needed to talked, and he confessed, “I love James. And I understand if you don’t want me around him. I understand if you want me to stay away. I just want you to know that I love him. I could never hide that from you.”

Harry had studied him for a moment, before finally saying, “I’ve always thought of you as a son. But James is my flesh and blood, so,” he paused before continuing, “I’m not going to ask you to stay away from him, but I am going to ask for you not to make any moves before he’s legal. If you truly love him, and if he truly loves you, you both can wait.” As Teddy was walking out of the office, semi-relieved, Harry called out, making the boy turn, “And one more thing. Do **not** break my son’s heart.”

The second person he told was his best friend, Basil Haywood-Karasu. They had shared a dormitory back at Hogwarts, and they were even each other’s first kiss. They knew everything about each other. So, it wasn’t much of a surprise to Basil when Teddy confessed he liked James. In fact, Basil had already placed money on it with his sisters. So, the first thing he said was, “I’m about to get fifteen sickles richer.” Teddy laughed, knowing that each of Basil’s sisters had just gotten five sickles poorer.

The third person to know about Teddy’s crush was Lily. She had been semi-living in his flat since he had moved out, and she had caught him looking longingly at a picture he had of James. In the picture, James had just finished a run at the Shell Cottage. He was wearing a white t-shirt, which was soaked with sweat, and his freckles shone through. He was standing on a cliff, back to the camera, glancing back at the photographer, with is arms spread out like an eagle. He was smiling like crazy. Teddy loved the picture so much, so he wasn’t really paying attention when Lily snuck up behind him, and said, “He loves you too, you know. He always has.” He weakly smiled at her, before the girl jumped over the back of his couch, pulling him into a hug.

This was going to be a long two years.

* * *

James wasn’t reckless about his crush on Teddy. At least, he didn’t think he was. He made sure to be very careful whenever he was with Teddy. Sure, he may have leaned a little bit too into the boy when the family had movie nights. Sure, he let more and more of his skin show when they were together. Sure, he took every excuse to touch the boy. But it wasn’t reckless. All of it was planned.

He was sure Teddy wanted to reciprocate all of those acts. He was absolutely sure of it. But the blue-haired boy kept holding himself back around James. And James did not like it. He wanted Teddy to reciprocate. Why wasn’t he reciprocating? There had to be a reason.

James made it his mission to talk to Teddy about it. The problem was, Teddy never allowed them to be completely alone. When they were at James’ house, his parents were there and so was Arthur and usually a few of his cousins. When they were at Teddy’s flat, either Lily was there with them or Basil was or sometimes Dominique and Victoire were there. James was never alone with Teddy, and it pissed him off.

He just wanted to talk, after all.

* * *

Teddy hated that James kept on making advances, because he couldn’t reciprocate. At least not until James was seventeen. It was against the law for him to be with James. And more importantly, at least to him, he had promised Harry.

James kept flaunting his crush, and Teddy couldn’t stand it. He had to make sure other people were always around when he and James were together to remind himself that he couldn’t be with James (at least for now). But he knew James was getting more and more impatient. He knew James wouldn’t stop until he got what he wanted (it was very Slytherin of him, really).

So, he started avoiding James. When James sent him owls, asking if he wanted to hang out, Teddy wrote back that he was busy. When Harry or Ginny invited him over for dinner, he replied no if he knew James would be there. During family events, he tried to say as far as possible away from James.

Everything changed after that. When Victoire came over, she forced Dominique to stay home. Teddy still didn’t like her, but it was a way to keep himself away from James. Lily rarely came over anymore, and her stuff slowly started disappearing from his flat. The invitations to dinner lessened and eventually stopped. Teddy almost thought he was safe from James.

That is, until the day that James showed up on his doorstep, absolutely furious, the day before his sixteenth birthday.

* * *

 James was beyond furious.

There Victoire was, at his dinner table, in his home, with her perfect blonde hair, and her perfect porcelain skin, and her perfect blue eyes, bragging about how she thought Teddy was finally about to ask her out. They had had _SO_ much alone time together lately. James glared at her, wishing looks could kill.

And when she told everyone that Teddy had almost let her kiss him the other night, James broke. He rushed out the door, on a mission to kill. If he had turned around, he would have seen the fire in Dominique’s eyes, the anger in Lily’s, and the positively pissed look on his father’s face.

And if he had stayed, he would have heard Victoire explain that he was just jealous because he wanted Teddy and Teddy wanted her. If he had stayed, he would have heard Dominique say, “Teddy doesn’t want you, Victoire. Anyone who truly pays attention to him would know that he’s in love with James. And, by the way, to be honest, you’re kind of a bitch for flaunting the fact that you could have Teddy if he liked you and James can’t even though Teddy does like him.”

If he had stayed, he would have heard the utter silence that followed.

* * *

“Why the BLOODY FUCK are you avoiding me?”, James yelled as soon as Teddy closed the door behind him. Teddy motioned to the couch, but James stood there, as if saying he was too angry to sit down. So, Teddy stood too.

“You know why, James,” he said softly, hating that the other boy was angry. It’s not like he wanted to avoid James, he hated not seeing him, missed the sound of his voice, the warmth of his touch. But James was making a lot of things hard for Teddy, literally and figuratively.

James looked angrier now. He shouted, not thinking about Teddy’s neighbors, “WHY? Because I like you. I’ll get over it. Go be with my cousin. Snog her. Fuck her. Marry her. I. Will. Deal.” Teddy’s eyes widened at the words, and he cast a silencing charm, as he wasn’t sure how lenient or accepting his neighbors would be if they heard the rest of this conversation.

Teddy grabbed the angry redhead in front of him, leading him over to the couch, as if siting would calm James down (because he knew it would). But James hopped up, snarling at Teddy, “Isn’t that why you’ve been avoiding me? Because you want her in your bed and you don’t want to hurt my feelings? Because you want to be with her in the ways I want to be with you, and you think you’re protecting me from that. ISN’T THAT WHY?” James was red all over now, practically spitting the words into Teddy’s face. But Teddy remained calm.

“No, James, that isn’t why. I don’t like Vic. I never liked Vic,” Teddy said, half-hoping that James would let it go at that. He couldn’t look James in the eye, even when the red-headed boy collapsed down on the coffee table in front of Teddy, exhausted from the jealous rage he had just experienced.

“Then why? Why would you avoid me, why would you let her think she had a chance, why – why don’t you like me?” James asked. He sounded so vulnerable, and when Teddy looked at the boy, there were tears streaming down his face. He felt horrible. He was the reason for those tears.

“I don’t like her, James, I like someone else,” he glanced up at the boy whose anger had returned and whispered, “I like you, Jamie.” Hope replaced anger, but before James could get any ideas, Teddy continued, “But we can’t be together. Until you’re seventeen.”

James’ face fell, and Teddy wanted to wrap his arms around the boy, wanted to kiss him until he stopped crying, wanted to be able to console him. But his hands stayed in his lap, and he stopped looking at James again.

“Teddy?” the other boy asked tentatively, and Teddy looked at him in response. “Were you really going to avoid me tomorrow because of this? On my birthday?” James looked hurt, almost heartbroken, as he was asking this question.

Teddy didn’t want to answer. He knew it would hurt James too much. But he answered anyways. “Yes, James, yes, I was going to avoid you tomorrow. On your birthday.” This is when James officially started crying. Teddy stood up, went into his bedroom, and grabbed a box out of his bedside table. When he sat back on the couch, he held out the box, and said, “I got you this though.”

James took the box from Teddy, and opened it to find a gold necklace with the words ‘Freckle Monster’ written in cursive in the middle of the chain. Teddy opened his mouth to explain, but James was already talking, “That’s what you and mom used to call me.” Teddy nodded, and James tackled him into a hug. Teddy tensed up at first, but wrapped his arms around the boy anyways, despite knowing that he needed to hold himself back.

After Teddy helped James put the necklace on, James asked, “Can you do one thing for me? Please.” Teddy nodded, willing to put money on the fact that he knew what James was about to say. “Tell her she doesn’t haven’t chance. And if you can’t do that for me… Do it for her.” He got up, and left without waiting for a response.

Less than an hour later, Teddy heard a knock at the door. Expecting it to be Victoire, he almost fainted when instead he saw Harry, the man he thought of as a father, on the other side of the door.

“We need to talk.”

* * *

When James got home, he encountered his favorite cousin, Dominique, already laying in his bed. When he raised his eyebrow in question, she replied, “I may have implied that my sister was a bitch, and I’ve been told that I might want to stay here until I’m ready to apologize.”

James sighed, and asked, “Was it an implication or an outright statement?”

Dominique scrunched her face at him, and then smirked, “I wouldn’t say outright…” She then told him the whole story. By the end of it, James’s happiness about Teddy’s present was officially gone, replaced with sadness. He hated that Dominique turned on her sister for him, of all people.

Dominique snapped her fingers in front of James’s face, pulling him out of his depressed daze, and said, “Hey! No tears. Look on the bright side. Birthday sleepover!” She jumped up from the bed, going to James’ dresser, and pulling out clothes for her to use as pajamas.

She walked up to him, millimeters away from his face, and whispered, “By the way, don’t tell anybody, but I snuck into my house earlier. Got your birthday present, that way I didn’t have to apologize to her to get it.” She walked out of his room, headed for the bathroom, leaving James’ utterly confused on exactly how she had managed to sneak in, seeing as the Shell Cottage was nowhere near his house, she was too young to apparate, and she didn’t have a fireplace in her bedroom meaning she could not have used the floo.

He was sitting on the bed when she came back into his room, wearing a worn t-shirt of his, and a pair of his boxers. He laughed at the sight of her wearing clothes that were so normal, and she glared at him, saying, “Because of that, I’m not telling you the break-in story. Loser.”

“No! Tell me! I’m dying over here,” James begged, adding, “Lame-o,” at the end of his plead for good measure.

She laughed hysterically at his begging, then said, “Oh, fine, you wimp. Really, though? Isn’t it obvious what happened? Aunt Gin, your mom, side-along apparated with me. She thinks that I was completely justified in called Vic a bitch.”

“Of course, she does,” James laughed. He really should have known it was his mom that helped Dominique sneak into her own house. He laughed wholeheartedly, throwing his head back, and that’s when Dominique noticed the necklace.

“Okay, so, that necklace wasn’t there earlier, and I’m ninety-nine percent certain you were over at Teddy’s, so spill,” she said, suddenly intrigued. When he finished telling the story, she looked shocked and delighted. “You really said all that shit to him about Vic? And he really told you he liked you?”

He nodded, and she squealed, which was surprising, since Dominique was never one to squeal. They laid in bed afterwards, talking about anything and everything, not wanting to let go of the moment.

The two of them barely noticed the sound of the front door slamming shut after James’ confession.

* * *

Teddy let Harry into the flat, casting a silencing charm, knowing that this wasn’t going to go well.

Harry was already sitting on his couch when he turned around, and Teddy decided it might be better if he sat in the arm chair instead. He sat down, closing his eyes for a moment, and before he even opened his eyes, Harry was already speaking.

“While I don’t normally approve of parents eavesdropping, earlier I made an exception. And I just happened to hear James tell Dominique everything that occurred here today,” Harry said, not looking pleased. Teddy was about to say something when Harry held up his hand, and continued, “I know that you didn’t kiss him. I know that nothing truly inappropriate happened. But, one, he came here with a broken heart, and I think I told you not to break his heart. And two, you told him you liked him. You gave him too much hope. What if in a year you don’t like him anymore? What if you change your mind?” Harry was almost yelling now.

Teddy had lost his cool. “You have no faith in me, do you?” he paused, taking in Harry’s shocked face, before continuing, “I told him I liked him because we both needed it to be said. I was avoiding nearly everyone I care about, trying to protect him from me. I almost lost everything. And James? He was breaking apart! I’ve never seen him that angry before today. It was devastating to see him like that. So, yes, I told him I liked him, yes, I gave him hope! Because if we’re ever going to get through the next year, if we’re ever going to be together, it needed to be said before it was too late,” he ranted. His breath was ragged by the end of it, he was practically heaving. But he said what need to be said.

Harry took in every word, and it took him a few minutes to reply. “You’re right. It needed to be said. You were both losing yourselves. But that doesn’t change the fact that you broke his heart. You broke my son’s heart,” Harry said, anger seeping into every word.

Teddy paused before replying, wondering how to phrase his next words. “I broke my own heart too. And, not that you need reminding, but you raised me too. I was your son too,” Teddy yelled that last part, and watched as Harry’s face crumbled.

Harry didn’t respond for several minutes. He looked as if his world had been turned upside-down by Teddy’s words. Eventually though, he whispered, “You still are.” And then he got up to leave.

Before walking out, he turned to Teddy and said, “I expect you to be at his party tomorrow. I know you already gave him his gift, but he wants you there. And by the way, don’t think you can use the party as an excuse to break the news to Victoire. She may not even come after what happed today.”

And within seconds, Teddy was alone again.

* * *

At midnight, Dominique gave James her birthday present to him. It was a black leather vest. Dominique explained, “If you’re going to show off so much skin, you might as well look fabulous while doing it. Pair this with some dark skinny jeans, a white tank top, and a miniscule amount of hair product, and it will give you a nice Grease vibe.”

“You think I could pull it off tomorrow?” James asked. He was sure Teddy was going to be there, and while he knew that they couldn’t be together for another year, he still wanted to put on a show for the blue-haired boy of his dreams. And when Dominique nodded her head, all he could do was imagine Teddy’s face when he saw James’ new look. And then, of course, he had to think of other things, as imagining Teddy in any situation put James into a tight spot. Or, at least, put certain appendages of James’ in a tight spot.

They gossiped long into the night about when they believed Arthur and Scorpius would get together (Dominique thought they already were together), whether they thought Victoire would show up the next day or not, and how great it would be if James could be Teddy right now, without worrying about the age thing, or the Vic thing.

Around two a.m., Dominique had passed out in James’ bed. James laid there beside her, thinking about how he was sixteen, thinking about the party that would occur just hours later, and thinking about Teddy (he also thought about how he would need to take a cold shower before everyone arrived).

* * *

Teddy laid in bed all night, pondering what Harry had said. What had happened that made Victoire mad enough not to go to James’ party? He considered sending her an owl, but he knew that when she was upset, she didn’t simmer down for a while. Plus, Harry was right, he couldn’t ruin James’ party. Yet, he still tossed and turned, wanting to know exactly what circumstances had made James so angry (he figured the two stories were more intertwined then he knew).

At one point, around four a.m. he decided he just wasn’t going to sleep, and pulled out the gift that he hadn’t given James. It was a matching gold pin that read “Jamie” and there was a small ruby heart over the “i”. He decided to give it to James at his party later that day, not caring what Harry would say. But the thought of what Harry might say still pissed off Teddy, and he pressed the back of the pin into the palm of his hand.

Teddy breathed in and out for a few minutes, finally letting go of the pin, putting it back into its box. What he would do with his next few hours, he had no idea, but he needed to stop being angry. He pulled a picture of James, immediately calming down. It was a portrait, cut off at the neckline, and James’ freckles were in clear shot, almost red in the picture. His eyes were shining, his hair was messy, and his perfectly crooked smile was on full display.

Teddy’s breathing evened out, and it was all he could do to put the picture on his nightstand before he fell asleep.

* * *

 After James got out of the shower, he and Dominique got to work on his new look. They borrowed a few hair products from Ginny (“Aunt Gin, it’s important! This is James’ sixteenth birthday, he needs to look AMAZING!” – Dominique) and they took complete control of the boys’ (James’ and Arthur’s) bathroom, forcing Lily to share with Arthur.

When they were finished, James looked almost completely different. His hair looked like it was straight out of the seventies, his freckles were practically on full display, and his clothes made him feel like a god. All they had to do was decide on what shoes he should wear. “I don’t have leather boots, Dom! How many times do I have to tell you that?” James yelled at her, frustrated that she didn’t get that he was usually pretty reserved when it came to clothing.

Dominique got an idea, and James was almost scared until she offered up, “What about your black chucks? They’ll give you a nice scruffy vibe!” James lit up at the idea, rushing out of the bathroom, only to run directly into Arthur and Scorpius in the hallway. The two boys were so close together, as if they were about to kiss, but they broke apart as soon as they saw James.

Ignoring the horny antics of the two younger boys (who he wasn’t even sure were together or not), James blushed deeply at how they were looking at him. “It’s – it’s not what it looks like,” he stammered out.

“It looks like Dominique got a hold of you and gave you one of her infamous makeovers,” Arthur chuckled out nervously, wondering why James hadn’t teased him yet about what he almost ran into. He had just been about to kiss Scorpius for the first time, and James wasn’t one to ignore stuff like that. James loved teasing Arthur.

James gave him a smile and said, “Then it’s exactly how it looks like.” He bit his lip nervously, and then awkwardly pointed to his bedroom door, as if saying he needed to go. Before he closed the door behind him, he turned to the two boys, and grinned, “Be safe, kiddos.”

The two boys glared at him.

* * *

 Teddy arrived at the Potter household at promptly nine o’clock in the morning, despite the fact that he was only able to sleep for a few hours. He was immediately put to work, hanging up decorations and helping put finishing touches on the food. It wasn’t until noon that he even saw James. James had come into the kitchen, begging to be able to eat something, and their eyes met.

Teddy’s eyes flitted over James’ stature, and he took in the new look. He had to bite the inside of his cheek from gasping, because god-fucking-dammit, James was stunning. He noticed that James was still wearing his necklace, and he smiled awkwardly. James smiled easily back, and walked towards him, taking advantage of the distracted blue-haired boy and grabbing one of the cucumber finger sandwiches from behind him, shoving the food into his mouth in a very confident, indelicate way.

Teddy glared at the shorter boy playfully, and said, “You’re gonna get me in trouble, Jamie. I’ve been instructed not to let anyone eat unless they’re helping set up the party.” He poked the other boy on the nose, “Now scram. And definitely do not try to sneak off with a few of the deviled eggs that will be completely out of my sight when I turn around. And do NOT grab enough for anybody else that might be hungry.”

James’ mouth went into a thin line, and he said, “Yes, sir.” Teddy almost believed that James’ didn’t get the hint, but just as he was about to turn around, James smiled and winked at him, before acting as if he was a perfectly innocent angel from heaven.

After he was sure James was gone, he sighed, thinking that James didn’t have to act for Teddy to think he was an angel.

As soon as James left the kitchen, with a paper plate of deviled eggs in tow, he leaned against the wall of the hallway. His cheeks were bright red. He wasn’t sure if the conversation that had just occurred was flirting or simply banter, but nevertheless, he was still hard. Immediately he brought up images of Victoire draping herself over Teddy and the problem was gone within seconds.

He shuffled off quickly, and Dominque and Lily both came out as soon as they smelt food. Scorpius and Arthur were missing from their tiny feast, but James was not about the bother them, not wanting to know what they were doing. He dug into the deviled eggs along with his two favorite girls, and his hunger slowly went away.

James was beginning to think that this might just be his best birthday when he heard a door slam. His eyes widened when he heard the voice of his cousin, yelling out obscene words, and horrendously calling out the boy James loved for horrible things.

Victoire was here.

* * *

Victoire came barreling into the kitchen, out for blood, and managed to corner Teddy against the counter. She spat at him, “Is it true? Do you really like that freak cousin of mine?” Teddy opened his mouth to respond, but she didn’t let him get a word in before continuing, “You realize he’s seven years younger than you, right? Seven fucking years, Teddy. Plus, he’s ugly as fuck, covered with those nasty looking freckles. Why would you want him, when you could have me?”

“What’s wrong with freckles, Victoire?” a voice said. Both Teddy and Victoire looked to see Lily standing in the doorway. Lily, too, was covered in freckles, though not as many as James. She looked like a warrior, her fist balled up, her hair like fire around her. The girl continued, “I happen to think freckles are beautiful. Besides, it’s really about what’s on the inside isn’t it? Though, I don’t expect you to believe that. Your insides probably look like a wasteland.”

Victoire turned back to Teddy, and said, “Are you going to let her speak like that?” Teddy, again, opened his mouth to speak, but Victoire, again was too fast for him. She smirked, and said, “Oh. I see. You’re after her too, aren’t you? You know what you are. A fucking pe-”

“Don’t you dare say another word,” Dominique said from behind Lily. She, along with Arthur and Scorpius, all walked into the kitchen. Victoire was shocked to see her sister standing up for Teddy, yet again, instead of taking her side. But, if anything, it just made her even more angry.

“Fine, I won’t say that word. I’ll say other ones,” she turned to Teddy yet again, and said, “You’re a nasty queer. A poof. A shirt-lifter. A fucking faggot.” Everyone in the room gasped at her words, and she took pleasure in the attention. That is, until two more people entered the room.

“I’m going to have to ask you to leave, Victoire,” his Mum (Ginny) said, sounding angrier than any of the kids had ever heard her. Harry came up behind her, putting his shoulder in support.

“You two on are his side too? Even though he’s perving on James?” Victoire shot back, and all of the kids’ eyes widened. Nobody had ever dared to talk back to Ginny.

“We’re on our son’s side, Victoire. Both of our sons,” Harry said. He shot a look at Teddy, who was still pinned to the counter, and then looked back to his niece. “And I’ll be escorting you home.” He muttered _expelliarmus_ under his breath and suddenly Victoire’s wand shot towards him, and then muttered another spell, which Teddy knew was a magic-locking spell that aurors used when arresting people.

Victoire released Teddy, and he made a run for the other side of the kitchen, hiding behind his mum. She made to leave, muttering something about what sounded like the word “incest”, when, out of nowhere, she turned, and said in a sickly, sweet tone, “But I don’t I get to see Jamie on his big day?”

James walked slowly into the kitchen and said, “I’m right here. I was in the hall the whole time. I heard everything, Vic.” He looked down, as if contemplating what he wanted to say next, and then looked back at her, “I had no idea you were so homophobic. If I had, I would’ve stopped being nice to you years ago. And you really should go. Wouldn’t want Uncles Percy and Oliver knowing how much of a bigot you are.”

Victoire sputtered, as James had always been the reserved, non-insulting Potter child. But she said the first thing that came to mind, which just happened to be, “You’re just a little slut who doesn’t know what’s best for himself.” She glanced at the blue-haired boy, and said, “Stay away from him. He’ll just hurt you in the end.”

She walked out the door, Harry right behind her. Everybody was silent for a moment. Everyone looked at James, who looked utterly depressed as he whispered, “I’m already hurt.”

Teddy’s heart broke into a million pieces.

* * *

James couldn’t just cancel the party, at least not in his mind. It was too late, everybody had worked too hard, and honestly, he really needed a distraction right now. Everything that Victoire had said about James being too young was right. Teddy should be with someone older. Even if it killed James to watch it happen.

James was pretty solemn as his family (plus some) trickled in. James lost count of how many people were in the house, he just knew it was way too many when he was feeling this terrible. Despite the fact that Dominique could be hanging out with her actual best friends, Arthur and Scorpius, she stayed by James’ side. Though he wasn’t sure if that was by choice or because the boys had snuck back to Arthur’s room. Nevertheless, there she was, all night, even when her father and brother came to drop off some of Dominique’s stuff and wish James a happy birthday (Aunt Fleur had stayed home with Victoire).

Teddy also sat with him, not too close, but also not far enough away that it would raise suspicions. James wanted to cuddle up against the blue-haired boy, and feel safe again, but he knew he couldn’t. He knew he shouldn’t. And, yet, it was still so very tempting. He knew Teddy would be emitting body warmth, and that he would string his fingers through James’ hair (which Dominique had washed the product out of before people started arriving), and that the other boy would make James feel warm and safe and happy. But he also knew from the look that was on his father’s face that he should not push any boundaries right now.

Dominique snarkily rambled on beside James, teasing everybody at the party under her breath. Every few minutes someone would come up to him, and wish him happy birthday, and when they would walk away, she would point out something that they were wearing that was such a fashion DON’T. With Fred II, it was his light-colored jeans. With Neville, it was his sweater vests in the middle of summer. With Uncle Charlie, it took her approximately seven minutes to come up with something, but eventually said that his collar was messed up. James rolled his eyes and told her that that was part of Charlie’s ‘tough scruff’ look. She muttered something about the two of them being the only attractive people at the table. He didn’t agree with her.

James slightly cheered up when he got to open presents, even ones from people who couldn’t show up. Aunt Minnie (better known as Professor McGonagall) gave him a “must-read feminist classic”: _Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman_. Neville gave him _Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities by Amy Stewart_ , since his professor knew that he liked muggle plants better than magical ones. Roxanne also gave him a book, _The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee_. Fred II gave him _Desi Khana: The True Art of Indian Cooking by Tarla Dalal_ , so he “could make more than just burgers”. Rose gave him an annotated (by her) copy of _The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens_ , in which was the character that Rose was named after. His parents got him his first cell phone, though he had no idea why, seeing as he couldn’t use technology at Hogwarts. James was more than pleased with all these gifts, except maybe the cell phone, as he loved reading and cooking more than anything.

After a loud, and chaotic, rendition of happy birthday, and a ceremonial cutting of the cake, James was finally able to escape again. He went out to the backyard, taking in the fresh air, and was truly surprised when he felt someone put their hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Teddy holding a small box. He freaked out for a moment before realizing that it wasn’t a proposal, and that he did not need to have a heart attack.

James took the box from Teddy, opening it to see a red and gold pin with his name on it. He tackled Teddy into a hug, just as he had the night before, and before he could pull away, Teddy whispered in his ear, “Happy sweet sixteen, Jamie.”

James suddenly didn’t care about Victoire said anymore.

Later that night, when Teddy was about to leave (he was one of the last), James turned to his parents with a puppy dog face, pleading, “Can I please, please, please stay over at Teddy’s tonight? I promise we won’t do anything we’re not supposed to!!!”

His parents sighed in unison, and his father rubbed his forehead, as if regretting what he was about to say. But his mother was the one to speak. “Take Dominique with you. And make sure you’re both home by noon.” Dominique made a face, and her aunt pulled her closer, whispering something in the girl’s ear, and Dominique was suddenly completely on board with the plan.

James’ birthday could have been better. But he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

* * *

Teddy liked that he would be able to spend the night with James. He also liked that Dominique would also be there to stop them from doing anything they shouldn’t be doing. He was more than a little surprised that Harry was allowing it to happen, but he wasn’t surprised about Mum, as he knew that she had complete faith in all of her children, and that she knew that they wouldn’t do anything. Harry tried his best to have faith, but when he wasn’t okay with something, it was clear.

When they got to his flat, Dominique immediately took the arm chair, laying across the armrests, and Teddy glared at her. Was she even going to try to stop them from doing anything, or was she just there as a formality? But before he could talk to her about it, she called out, “Just because I’m giving you boys the couch, doesn’t mean you can do anything nasty. I can and will hear everything. Don’t traumatize me.”

James made a face at her, sitting awkwardly down on the couch, taking off his shoes before tucking his feet under his legs. “Even if you weren’t sitting there, we wouldn’t do anything Dom,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He looked adorably comfortable, now in black sweatpants and a really old Holyhead Harpies t-shirt that Teddy was sure was Mum’s when she was Teddy’s age. He had an extreme urge to kiss James all over. Of course, he held back. He moved to sit down on the opposite side of the couch, but James spoke up, asking Dominique, “Is cuddling okay with you, Duchess Dom?”

Dominique cringed at James’ nickname for her, but then replied, “Cuddling is harmless. But if I sense any frottage, I’ll have to report it to Aunt Gin.” She grabbed a remote from the coffee table, and turned on Teddy’s telly, flicking from channel to channel, unsure of what to watch. Finally, she landed on a rerun of an episode of Sherlock season five, which had come out the year before.

James looked at Teddy hopefully, and Teddy moved closer to him, first sitting down, and then moving them into a comfortable cuddling position. Both of their hearts were beating faster and faster, like the ticking of a bomb, and neither of them were watching the telly, more focused on every point of contact between them. At least Teddy was, James seemed to be distracted.

James, after a long day of wrestling his emotions, fell asleep wrapped in Teddy’s arms. Teddy wasn’t sure what to think. What if James moved around in his sleep? What if he (Teddy) got a hard-on? Goddammit, what if James had a wet dream? He tried to untangle himself from the younger boy when Dominique spoke again.

“Stop freaking out man. I can feel your anxiety from here. It’s suffocating,” she said to him, looking away from the telly. She looked at the sleeping boy, then right into his eyes, “He’s had a long day and he barely slept last night. He probably doesn’t have the strength to be thinking thoughts like that, even when he’s unconscious. And you, your tween-age angst about being in love with a boy seven years younger than you will stop you from being hard.” The girl shuddered at the thought.

He finally managed to get his arm free, and sat up, looking at the girl. She turned to him fully, turning the telly off as she did. They sat there in silence, until she said, “I know you’re in love with him, you know? Even though you refuse to say it to him, I know you’re in love with him. If you didn’t, you’d have tried it with Victoire by now, or realized that your friend Basil has lowkey fancied you for years. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have bothered telling Uncle Harry.” Taking in the look of surprise on Teddy’s face, she continued, “Yeah, I know about that too. I know quite a few things no one thinks I know. It’s called being observant. And persuasive.”

“If you’re so persuasive, how did Mum get you to agree to come chaperone?” he asked in a low voice, challenging her. One of his eyebrows raised, and he clasped his hands together, smirking at her. It was a very unlike-him pose.

“Aunt Gin told me that if I didn’t go, she would drop me off at my house without hesitation, and apparate away before she could witness Victoire murder me, that way she could truthfully say she hadn’t seen anything,” Dominique said coolly, pausing before saying, “Forgive me if I value my life a teensy bit more than my pride. I know, I know… Very un-Slytherin of me.” She chuckled softly.

“So, now that we have that cleared up, you say you know everything?” he asked. She nodded at him, her eyes glinting with secrets that he couldn’t help but want to know. He sighed, glancing one again at the sleeping boy beside him before looking back at Dominique. “Tell me the story.”

And so, she did.


	2. Freaks Out, Love Letters, Fights, and First Kisses (And Oh, So Much Consent)

**Freaks Out, Love Letters, Fights, and First Kisses (And Oh, So Much Consent)**

James woke up with another body pressed up against him. It was strange, but oddly satisfying. He desperately wanted to cuddle closer to whoever it was, but something stopped him. For one thing, he couldn’t exactly place who the person was. For another, he was pretty sure he wasn’t in his bed.

He slowly opened his eyes, despite the fact that his eyelids were fighting him to stay closed and go back to sleep. The first thing he realized was that he was not in a bed at all, he was in a couch. The second thing he realized was that he was in **_Teddy’s apartment_**. James scrunched his face up, rolling over as well as he could, groaning when he saw that the person pressed up against him had pink hair. **_He had slept with Teddy_**.

Startled, James fell back, and landed on the floor. How could he have been so stupid? He rubbed his head, sitting up, and realized that Teddy was waking up. He freaked out, stumbling up and rushing to the bathroom. He didn’t know why he had decided to go there, as he didn’t have to go, so he just sat on the toilet, contemplating his life until he heard a knock at the door. He didn’t move to open it.

“James, get your arse up, and let me into the bathroom before I pee on this goddamned floor,” Dominique yelled. James eyes widened at her voice, suddenly remembering the night before. He had passed out in Teddy’s arms less than ten minutes after they had gotten to the flat. He may have slept with Teddy, but he hadn’t **_slept_** with Teddy. He rushed out the bathroom door, pushed past his cousin, and only stopped when she said, “Oh, and can you please calm your boy down? He’s freaking out.”

James slowed down. Teddy was freaking out? He bit his lip, basically tip-toeing down the hall, and look around the corner into the kitchen. Teddy was at the counter, drinking coffee and rubbing his head. James could see that his face was stained red with tears, and he really didn’t like it. Was this all because James had run when he woke up?

Dominque came up behind him, whispering, “This is for your own good,” as she pushed him out into the open. Teddy looked up, and almost smiled, but then his face dropped, and he said, “Just leave if you want. I don’t care.”

“I don’t want to leave,” James whispered. “I mean, I have to leave later, but I don’t want to leave now,” he corrected himself. He walked to the counter, “I was just freaked out earlier. When I got up, I was really disoriented, and, uh, kind of, you know, thought we, um, slept together.”

Teddy’s eyes widened, but then he laughed, and said, “Blimey, James, you’re such a mess.” He shook his head at the younger boy, drank the last of his coffee, and then asked his two guests, “So, do you guys want to eat, or should I expect James to run off again in the next ten seconds because he thinks that I’m making sexual innuendos by the way I eat sausage?” His eyes shined teasingly, and James glared at him.

“Shut up, git,” James replied, playfully pushing the older boy. Teddy pushed him back, and he ended up pressed against the counter. The two boys looked at each other gaily (author’s note: gayly, ha) and lovingly, but were interrupted by a certain disgusted girl.

“I swear, I haven’t even eaten breakfast yet, and I’m already losing it,” Dominque quipped, making a puke face at James and Teddy. The two boys separated quickly, blushing hotly. Teddy got to work on making the three of them pancakes and James, James just stared at Teddy, loving the domestic feel of this moment.

He could barely wait for the day he would be able to kiss the boy in front of him.

When Teddy was finally alone again, he breathed out, relieved. It was so hard being with James, but not be able to be **_with_** James. He was almost glad that James would soon be heading off to Hogwarts. Yeah, it meant that he would only be able to talk to him through letters, except on holidays, but it also meant there would minimal temptations.

After cleaning up the kitchen, he went to clean up the living room as well. He knew he could clean it all within seconds with magic, but cleaning had always calmed him down. And when he saw what Dominique had left him, he was glad that he was accustomed to cleaning up manually, because he probably would have missed it otherwise. There, laying in the chair that Dominique had claimed the night before, was a magical photograph of him and James sleeping on his couch. His hair was shifting through every color of the rainbow in the photograph, finally landing on a pink that most would have associated with his mum. His biological mum that is, not Ginny of course. He smiled at the photograph, and his eyes teared up. The photo showed just how much he loved James.

He flipped the photograph over, and on the back, Dominique had written in small script, “Even an aromantic like myself can tell that this is true love.” He conjured up a frame, carefully putting the photo in it, and set it up on the chairside table, under a lamp. It gave the room a happier, homier, feel.

His heart beat just a teensy bit faster for the rest of the day.

* * *

 

_August 28 th, 2021_

_Jamie,_

_I know that you wanted me to see you off to Hogwarts, and I’m very sorry, but I cannot make it._

_Aunt Luna offered me a job at her tattoo parlor, A Mage n’ Ink. It just feels so right, putting my art skills to use. After being an auror didn’t work out being I realized that that just wasn’t my life, I wasn’t sure what to do. Dad had always talked about me becoming an auror, like it was a given, and when I couldn’t, it hurt me more than him. Because, honestly, I was doing it my mum more than him. But I realize now, that my mum would want me to do whatever made me happy. And this makes me really happy._

_Anyways, I have to work on the first, and I can’t skip out because Aunt Luna has to be at the platform to make sure Lysander actually gets on the train this year. I hope you understand <3_

_\- Teddy_

* * *

 

_September 2 nd, 2021_

_Teddy,_

_I understand why you couldn’t see me off, but that doesn’t make me less sad that I lost my last chance to see you until Winter holidays (*pouts adorably*). I suppose you’ll just have to make it up to me when we’re finally together (*winks suggestively*)._

_I suppose I should fill you in on the sorting. Genevieve got sorted into Gryffindor, and I’m assuming you know that Lyric got sorted into Ravenclaw. Write me if you want to know any of the other kids’ houses, because I’m not sure which sorting you actually want to know._

_Missing you a lot (especially at night),_

_Jamie_

* * *

 

_September 4 th, 2021_

_Jamie,_

_1 – I’d still read your letter if it listed every sorting for the last century, simply because you wrote it._

_2 – Don’t you dare pout at me, you know I cannot help but give in every time you make those adorable puppy eyes of yours at me._

_3 – We’ll just have to wait and see if I’ll make it up to your or not ;)_

_I’m missing you too, of course. The other day, I was thinking about you at work between clients, and apparently Aunt Luna was talking to me for a good three minutes before I even realized._

_\- Teddy_

* * *

 

_September 9 th, 2021_

_Teddy,_

_Sometimes I lay awake at night, thinking about you. Thinking about your long, thin, fingers, thinking about your plump lips that I always want to fucking kiss, thinking about how handsome you would look like with a beard. Thinking about you giving me a tattoo, maybe in a place that only you would see it._

_Just writing like this makes me want to go think about you in the shower. But I’ll send this to you first._

_(Hope I didn’t work you up to much *smirks*),_

_Jamie_

* * *

 

_September 14 th, 2021_

_Jamie,_

_That was beyond cruel of you. Just for that, I did grow a beard, and with this letter you can find a very PG-13 photo of me. Good luck getting through breakfast after seeing it._

_\- Teddy_

* * *

 

_September 17 th, 2021_

_Teddy,_

_I would send you a photo of my reaction, but those kinds of photos aren’t legal, even through mail (but let me tell you, it was a very good reaction)._

_You’ll just have to wait until next August,_

_Jamie ;)_

_September 20 th, 2021_

_Only 330 more days until I can have you._

_\- Teddy_

* * *

 

“These are borderline smutty, James! SMUTTY! Who would of thought that Jamie Potter could send letters like these?”, Dominique whispered across the Slytherin table, fighting back a laugh. James was spending his allotted one day a week at the Slytherin table with Dominique, and of course, she had somehow figured out about the letters. And James was blushing like hell, because not only was she openly reading his “smutty” letters, both Arthur and Scorpius were listening in on the conversation. And they had the most devilish prankster smiles plastered onto their faces.

“Dom, you have got to quiet down. If word gets out about those letters, Teddy could get into serious trouble!”, James whispered back, very conscious of the public setting that they were in. All three Slytherins dropped their smiles, and realized exactly how reckless this situation was. And they all fought to talk at once.

“Oh, Merlin, I’m so proud of you Jamie! You’re finally letting yourself be reckless!” – Dominique, while clapping

“James Sirius Potter, do you realize how stupid this is? This could RUIN Teddy’s life.” – Arthur, while glaring

“James, we all support you and Teddy, but even I have to say that this may not be the best path for you to take.” – Scorpius, while eating a cinnamon roll (author’s note: CANNABALISM.)

James looked at all three of them and said, “I have to fix this don’t I?”

Only Dominique shook her head.

* * *

 

_October 3 rd, 2021_

_Jamie,_

_You haven’t written back to me yet, and I wasn’t sure if something was wrong or not. I understand that the sixth year is tough, so if you were too busy to write back, then I apologize, and hope you’re eating/drinking/sleeping plenty. If it’s not because you’re busy, please write me back. I worry._

_\- Teddy_

* * *

 

_October 7 th, 2021_

_Teddy,_

_I’m sorry for not writing back before now, but after your letter before last, Dominique, Arthur, and Scorpius made me realize something. Some of the things we’ve been writing each other haven’t been very appropriate, and because of the age difference, I worry that you’ll get in serious trouble._

_I wasn’t sure how to talk about this, so I’ve been putting off writing you back. I understand if you’re upset with me. Strike that. Please, please, please don’t be upset with me._

_My heart aches for you,_

_Jamie_

* * *

 

_October 10 th, 2021_

_Jamie,_

_I could never be upset with you._

_And if you no longer want to write about how we want to be together physically, then I propose writing about we want each other emotionally. I love you so damned much, Jamie. You’re my everything. I want to spend the rest of my life talking to you and appreciating you. And loving you._

_\- Teddy_

* * *

 

_October 12 th,_

_Teddy,_

_I’ve reread your last letter over and over again, wishing that my seventeenth birthday would just pass already, so I could start my life with you. Sometimes I imagine our future life together. Cuddling in bed. You making breakfast for me (or me for you, when you teach me how to cook on the stove). Watching telly late at night, with my head in your lap on the couch. How many kids will we decide to adopt? Which of us will propose? Will we eventually move into a small house, with a backyard, and a grill for when we want to host family barbeques? It’s a nice thing to think about._

_I love you, I love you, I love you,_

_James_

* * *

 

_October 23 rd, 2021_

_Jamie,_

_To answer your questions:_

_Three. We’ll both try to propose at the same time, but you’ll start crying halfway through it and smother me with kisses before I can get out my proposal. Yes, we’ll move to a small house, with a yard, and a grill, and a porch swing, and a small garden, and a big tree in the front yard where we can put a tire swing._

_And I love you too._

_\- Teddy_

* * *

 

_October 29 th, 2021_

_Teddy,_

_I REGRET EVERYTHING._

_Well, that’s not true. But I definitely regret my decision to get drunk last night at the Quidditch game afterparty. And I also regret the fact that despite falling asleep around two last night (or so says Dominique who snuck into the Gryffindor common room and refused to leave all night), I woke up at four to throw up. I wish you had been here to take care of me, instead of Dominque, who actually didn’t take care of me at all, she just made a comment about how at least I don’t have hair to hold back._

_Please come save me from her and the rest of these traitors,_

_James_

* * *

 

_October 31 st, 2021_

_Jamie,_

_How do you still have nearly perfect grammar, even when hungover? I would kill for that._

_I wish I could be there for you. Dominique sounds like a parasite when you describe her, instead of your best friend. What about the guys in your dorm? Did they do anything? How do they feel about the fact that Dominique spent the night? Oh, merlin, don’t answer that, I don’t want to know about their nasty hetero thoughts if there are any._

_Hope you feel better xoxo (and say Happy Birthday to Lily for me)_

_Teddy_

* * *

 

_November 3 rd, 2021_

_Teddy,_

_Keegan (Finnegan) is pretty cool about having Dominque in the dorm with us, and not because of “nasty hetero thoughts”, because his girlfriend (Gwennol Greengrass) would kill him for that. She’d turn bloody ballistic if she even caught a whiff of him thinking about a girl that wasn’t her._

_Lily says thanks, and that you need to write her back, instead of making me the go-between. She also asked if you could send her her heavy quilt. Apparently, she left it your apartment._

_Make sure to visit Dad tonight,_

_James_

* * *

 

_November 7 th, 2021_

_Jamie,_

_Funny thing is, your letter arrived just as I was about to leave to visit Mum and Dad._

_This Greengrass girl doesn’t sound quite sane. Does your friend know what he’s getting into?_

_Tell Lily that she’ll have to fight me for her heavy quilt (Actually don’t, she’s beaten you in a fight, I really don’t want to know if she can beat as well)._

_\- Teddy_

* * *

 

_November 9 th, 2021_

_Teddy,_

_Did you really have to remind me of that? I had a black eye for weeks! It was horrible!!_

_I’m at breakfast, and Dominique is talking about the letters, and she just made a comment about whether you or I would win in a “fight” (a.k.a. who would top). And she says the way I talk is “borderline smutty”._

_Just so you know, I’m pretty sure that I’m a bottom (*blushes embarrassedly*),_

_James_

_P.S. I don’t even want to send this_

* * *

 

_November 13 th, 2021_

_Jamie,_

_You don’t need to be embarrassed. I kind of already knew._

_\- Teddy_

* * *

 

_November 16 th, 2021_

_Teddy,_

_Fuck,_

_James_

* * *

 

_November 23 rd, 2021_

_Jamie,_

_Such a nice waste of paper, only writing one word in a letter (not saying I don’t appreciate the letter anyways, because I do, I can imagine you saying that and it does things to me)._

_I know that our letters have been turning a tiny more inappropriate lately, and while I kind of like it, I know it makes you a bit uncomfortable. We can stop if you want._

_\- Teddy_

* * *

 

_November 27 th, 2021_

_Teddy,_

_It’s not that I don’t want to talk to you this way, I just realize that this written evidence of whatever our relationship can be described as. And that it could get you in trouble. With the ministry, or worse… Dad._

_It just gives me anxiety, thinking about how he would react if he read these letters,_

_James_

* * *

 

_December 2 nd, 2021_

_I understand where you’re coming from, but… I just find it so easy to talk to you those ways in letters, because it’s like I’m not actually facing the problem. When it’s just letters, I can’t see how young you are, and it’s almost like I’m not doing anything wrong. I’m sorry that these letters are giving you anxiety._

_\- Teddy_

* * *

 

_December 6 th, 2021_

_Teddy,_

_I have a bunch of exams to study for before Winter Holidays, so I may not be able to write as much._

_I’ll be on the Hogwarts Express on the 22 nd, and be coming back on the 2nd, so maybe sometime in between we can talk about us, and how we’ll handle our friendship/relationship/whatever the fuck this is until my birthday. _

_I can’t wait to see you,_

_James_

* * *

 

James got off the train, immediately searching the crowd for his mum and dad. Instead of finding them, he was shocked to find Teddy, standing alone, his hands in his pockets, staring right back at him (James). James tried to control his breathing, walking towards Teddy at what he believed was a normal pace, but as soon as he reached Teddy, he couldn’t help it anymore. He tackled the older boy into a hug, lifting his feet just a teensy bit off the ground, and shoved his face into Teddy’s warm chest, mumbling, “I missed you, I missed you, I missed you.”

Lily walked up behind him, and exclaimed, “Goddammit, why the bloody fuck do I have to see this? First Francie and Stelly, then Arthur and Scorpius, and now this?! No. Fuck this shit. I’m done with the fucking PDA.”

“First of all, _language_ , Lily! Second of all, Francie and Stelly are your friends, so you can’t blame us for you watching them make out in your compartment. And, third of all, deal with it, we missed each other you little gremlin,” James replied, still hugging Teddy as tightly as was before. Lily rolled her eyes.

“Well, I want to go home, so, where are Mum and Dad?” she asked.

“They didn’t come. I’m here to pick you guys, and Dominique and Scorpius for some reason, up,” Teddy answered, detaching himself from James, who pouted like a two-year-old who was just told that he couldn’t have a cookie. He grabbed Teddy’s arm, acting as if he wouldn’t survive if he wasn’t touching Teddy for longer than ten seconds.

Dominique, Scorpius, and Arthur showed up next, and they all shoved their way into Teddy’s four seated yellow Volkswagen (Teddy shrunk their bags so everything would fit). Arthur sat in Scorpius’s lap (they had officially announced their relationship in October), and Dominique forced James to let her sit with him, because Lily was not up for sharing a seat. Teddy laughed at Dominique’s antics, and at James’ disgruntled look at having to sit in the back, despite being the oldest (beside Teddy, of course).

James stared at the back of Teddy’s head, his curly blue hair that he had grown out a bit longer, his deliciously pale neck that James wanted to absolutely destroy, and the way that Teddy’s skin rippled when he laughed. Merlin, it nearly killed James just looking at him. It also made him tug his hoodie more over his waist, which in turn, made Dominique make a puking face at him.

The trip to the Potter house took less than half an hour, seeing as they lived in Wood Green, and James was finally able to escape the torture of having an erection while sitting next to his cousin. He gave Teddy a small wave before running inside and locking his bedroom door behind him, forgetting that Dominique would be sharing with him.

* * *

 

“Why did James run into his room without even saying hello to us?”

Teddy looked at the woman he thought of as his mum, and thought about her question, but in the end, he shrugged, He truthfully had no idea why James had taken off like he had. He was sure Dominique knew, but that wasn’t the point. He should know what is wrong with James, he really should. He just doesn’t. All he knows is that at the train station, James was happy and clinging to him, and when they got home, he just ran off.

“You know that you can tell us anything, sunshine. Even if you feel that you did something wrong. We are not here to judge you.”

“Mum, I swear that I’m just as much in the dark as you are! I don’t know why he went straight to his room. He was fine at Kings Cross. And now, I guess he’s not! You can’t blame me for that.”

“We are not blaming you, Teddy. Now go to your old room, I don’t appreciate you raising your voice at me.”

“Shouldn’t someone check up on James?”

“Dominique is already in his room. She’s staying over. And don’t forget, Draco will be over for Christmas and New Year’s.”

Teddy already knew this. With Draco being his cousin, and Arthur’s boyfriend’s father, there was no question about it. He came over on all holidays, especially since Astoria had died the year before.  He headed straight for his old room, only to find that James was already in there, sitting on his blue comforter.

* * *

 

_*just ten minutes earlier*_

“Merlin that was so fucking embarrassing. I can’t believe I got a fucking hard-on in his car. And I was less than two feet away from both my siblings, my brother’s boyfriend, and you, my cousin and best friend.”

James hated this feeling of shame. He was currently laying on his bed, his head in his hands, his face redder than a tomato. But when he finally looked up to see Dominique’s reaction, she was simply smirking at him.

“You do realize that you weren’t the only one with a hard on in that car, right? Arthur was practically grinding Scorpius, Teddy was turned on by that movie-worthy hug you guys had, and Lily may be asexual, and you know, not a guy, but she’s totally in love with her friends, Francesca and Estelle. And me? I’ve been wanting to get into Gwen Greengrass’s pants for months now, but she’s _straight_ , so there’s no way!” Dominique sneered over the word straight, as if it tasted like bile.

“First of all, eww to that Arthur and Scorpius thing. Second of all, also eww to that you and my roommate’s gf thing. And third of all, what is your point?”

“My point is, go talk to Teddy. He’s spending the holidays here.”

“Now?”

Dominique’s glare answered it all.

* * *

 

“Hey,” James said softly. Teddy knew for a fact that the younger boy was nervous from the way he was shaking. He walked over to his bed, and he wrapped his arm around the red-headed boy. James shot him a tiny smile, and curled himself closer into the older boy.

“Is something wrong, Jamie?” he asked worriedly, letting James nestle himself against his chest.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” James replied. Teddy pulled a little bit away from him, and glared at the younger boy, and James continued, “I told you. I don’t want to talk about it. It’s embarrassing. I just want to be here with you.”

“And I want you to tell me what’s wrong, Jamie. Please. You’re worrying me,” Teddy pleaded.

“I had a hard-on in the car, okay? And it was embarrassing as fuck,” James said with a deep blush. Teddy looked at him like he was crazy, and then laughed, loudly and brightly. James looked away, ashamed.

Teddy noticed this, and gently turned James’s towards him and said, “Jamie, it’s okay. Guys get hard when they’re sexually attracted to someone. It’s natural. And nothing to be ashamed about. I was just laughing because it’s funny that you were ashamed of something so normal.”

“You swear?” James asked, looking more vulnerable than Teddy had seen him since James’ first year.

“I swear, Jamie,” Teddy replied. He looked down at James, smiled, and because the younger boy looked so sad, he morphed his nose into one of a pig, snorting happily. James laughed loudly, falling back on the bed, and Teddy just kept on morphing into different animals. He loved the sound of James’ laugh.

* * *

 

James was walking down the hallway, and he had just passed his father’s study when he heard his mother’s angry voice, the one she used for lectures. He stopped completely when he heard his name come up. “Harry, you’re being cruel to Teddy and James! You know that they can be together as they don’t shag, and James knows the house rules anyways, so why in bloody hell haven’t you told them yet?”

“First of all, just because those kids know the rules, doesn’t mean they listen to them! I know for a fact that neither of us want to go into Arthur’s room right now. I don’t even know why we let Scorpius spend the night, now that they’re together. And second of all, because James is too young to know how he feels. He shouldn’t commit himself to Teddy now, and never be able to get out of the relationship, because he feels committed to Teddy. And vice versa.”

“I don’t know if you recall, but we first got together when you were his age. And I was younger! So, what are you trying to say? Are we still married, simply because you feel _committed_ to me? Because if that’s the case, then I give you permission to just fucking leave.”

His dad’s voice grew softer as he said, “Of course that’s not what I meant, Gin. I just don’t want to see our family torn apart because they got together too young, and break up.”

“If they ever learn that you’re keeping the fact that they _could_ be together away from them, it’s going to tear apart the family anyways. And I, for one, have faith in them. I know true love when I see it. After all, I’m the girl who married her first crush.”

His dad’s voice broke as he said his next words, “I didn’t know,” and James could tell he was nearly crying. His dad continued, “I didn’t know that they could be together when I first told Teddy that they couldn’t be together until James was seventeen. And now… it feels like it’s too late to correct myself.”

“I’ll say what I said two years after the war, when you were finally ready to have a relationship. It’s never too late.”

“I wouldn’t survive without you, Gin.”

“I know.”

* * *

 

Teddy was floored when James told him what he overheard. He pulled out his phone, making sure it was on it’s magical (rather than muggle) mode, and quickly searched up the wizarding laws on minors and consent.

**Statute of Consent for Youth and Disabled Persons**

**(author’s note: Simple Version Without Too Many Big Words)**

_While a person over the age of seventeen cannot have sexual relations with a persons under the age of seventeen without being detained and charged, it must be stated, that the persons could have a romantic relationship, as long as the minor in question’s guardian(s) approve of the relationship._

“We could be together,” Teddy muttered under his breath, taking in this new information. He continued, “We could have been together all this time, and he didn’t tell us? We could have been kissing, and holding hands, and not getting anxious every time we feel like we’ve stepped out of line?”

“That’s the gist of it, yeah. Except one thing. It says the minor’s guardians would have to approve. Guardians. Emphasis on the plural. As in, both Mum and Dad would have to approve. And Dad doesn’t. Or didn’t. I don’t know. I was more focused on the fact that the first have of what I heard sounded like divorce was in their future.”

“Oh.”

“Even knowing that we can be together, I feel like we should wait until Dad tells us. And I do think that he will. I have faith in him.”

“You’re so much like Mum.”

“I know.”

* * *

 

_*three days later, Christmas Day*_

“James! What time is it?”

“5:30 AM, but that isn’t the point. Do you think Dad will say something today?” James was freaking out. What if his dad never said anything about it? What if his dad never approved of him being with Teddy? What if he had just gotten his hopes up, just to have them fall back down?

“James calm down. It’s Christmas. He probably doesn’t want to have that kind of conversation on Christmas of all days,” Teddy said, finally sitting up. Then, out of the blue, he asked, “Are you… are you straddling me?”

James blushed, moving off of Teddy, and replied, “Yeah, I guess I was.” He already missed how it felt to be straddling Teddy’s waist, even though he hadn’t been fully aware of it. He laid next to Teddy, cuddling closer to him, and asked, “You love me, right?”

“Yes, Jamie. I’m in love with you,” Teddy replied. James was surprised that Teddy had so willingly admitted it, but he had known it before. He just wanted to hear it.

“And I’m in love with you. What I don’t understand, is, why can’t people just accept us? We’re not doing anything wrong.”

“Because Jamie, if there weren’t rules like that, bad people would take advantage of little kids. And yes, the bad people of the world do get in the way of good people like us, but that doesn’t mean we can just ignore the rules. We have to follow them.”

“I just want to be able to kiss you. And sleep in the same bed as you. And not have to worry that Dad will walk in on us right now, and ground me for just cuddling with you.”

“Well, when will Mum and Dad be up?”

“Around seven. Mr. Malfoy will be here around eight. Which reminds me, Arthur wants me to wake him and Scorpius up before everyone else gets up.”

“Why?”

“Because they were doing very naughty things to each other last night, and they don’t want the parents to know,” James replied, smirking, before continuing, “Wish that was you and me instead of them. Hate that my brothers gets more action than me.”

“You realize that they haven’t had sex yet, right? Scorpius told me. He says that he and Arthur agreed that they shouldn’t have actual sex until they’re both sure that they’re ready,” Teddy said.

“They still do more than I’ve ever done. I’ve never even been kissed.”

“Oh.”

“It’s no big deal really. I just always wanted to wait for the right guy. Or girl. And you’re it.”

“Oh.”

James could tell that Teddy was freaking out. And he had no idea how to fix it. He just got up and left the room, quietly saying goodbye to Teddy before going to his room, and slipping under the covers, tears staining his cheeks, and his pillowcase.

* * *

 

Dominique woke up at the sound of him crying, and whispered comforting words to him until he fell asleep, not bothering to ask why he was crying, knowing it had to do with the boy down the hall. And she did not like it at all.

Teddy was unsure of how to feel about James wanting him to be his first kiss. He was also unsure of how to feel about James leaving his room abruptly. But he definitely knew how he felt about Dominique coming down the stairs, well after eight o’clock, saying that James didn’t feel well. He felt sick.

Dominique glared at him the whole twenty minutes she was down stairs, eating and then grabbing eggs and toast for James. Not ten minutes after she disappeared up the stairs, he claimed that he didn’t feel well either, not lying at all. He went straight to his room, hugging one of his many pillows tight to his chest, curling up in a ball. He sobbed into the pillow, struggling to breathe in between tears.

“Teddy?”

He stopped crying at the sound of his mum’s voice, and turned to her, releasing his pillow. She was in the doorway, but once she met his eyes, she crossed his room, shutting the door and sitting on his bed. “Is this about James?”

He nodded, and started ranting, crying through his words, “I fucked it up, Mum. I fucked everything up. James was in here earlier, talking about he had never been kissed, and how he wants me to be his first kiss, and I just… I just realized how much pressure that was. I can’t be his first everything.”

Ginny ran her fingers through Teddy’s hair, and replied, “Sunshine, baby, did I ever tell you that your mum asked me to be your godmother? Months before your dad asked Harry. I thought your mom was the fucking coolest, she was sort of a mentor to me. And she told me that, out of everybody, she believed that I would survive the war.”

“What does this have to do with me and James?”

“Before that, when she and your dad were first dating, I asked how she knew she was in love. And she said that you know you’re in love when they feel like home. Not when you get butterflies in your stomach, or when you feel like your every nerve is on edge around them, but when you’re around someone, and you feel like there is no place you’d rather be. That’s when I first knew that I loved Harry. My question is, does James make you feel like home?”

“James has always made me feel like home.”

“Then it doesn’t matter if you’re his first everything. All that matters is if you want to be his last.”

“Thanks Mum. But that doesn’t fix the fact that James is really upset.”

“I’ve known you since you were a baby, Teddy. I used to hold you in my arms at night when I knew Harry was exhausted. I raised you. And I know for a fact that you have always loved James, one way or another. And that the two of you could never fight for more than a weekend. This is going to be okay. Now, go talk to him.”

“Thanks, Mum.”

* * *

 

“Jamie?”

James knew that voice. And he was not about to get up, and fall into Teddy’s arms like a lovesick puppy. So, he curled further into his comforter, pulling his pillow over his head, mumbling, “Go away, Edward.” He sneered over the other boy’s full name, one that was only used when he was really in trouble.

“Please let me talk to you Jamie.”

“You don’t get to call me that.”

James heard Teddy shuffle across his bedroom floor, and sit on his bed, and he hid further under the covers, practically in the middle of his bed at this point. Teddy continued sitting on his bed, breathing softly, in and out, in and out, almost rhythmically. Finally, he spoke.

“James, I’m in love with you. But this is new to me as well. I’ve never been in love before. And I’m scared, Jamie. I’m scared that if I’m your first everything, your first love, your first kiss, your first time, and that if, somehow, we fall out of love, then you’ll regret me.”

James was angry. How dare Teddy say that they would fall out of love? He struggled his way out from his comforter, and snarled, “I’ve been in love with you since I was at least fourteen, and maybe before then as well. I’ve never even had another crush. You are it for me. So, unless you plan on falling out of love with me, your argument sucks.”

“Falling in love isn’t planned! And neither is falling out of it.”

“Fine. You don’t want to be my first everything? Then as soon as I get to school, I’ll find a boy to hook up with. I’ll snog him. I’ll let him fuck me. Then, how will you feel?” James was testing Teddy. And it worked out better than he planned for it to.

Teddy’s eyes flashed, and suddenly he was pinning James to his bed, fighting back an actual growl, “You will not!” His jealous side rarely showed, but this was a special circumstance. James was his, and no one else could have him.

“That doesn’t answer my question, Teddy,” James replied sarcastically, knocking Teddy off of him.

“I’d. Feel. Heartbroken. Terrible. Like Satan left hell for the day, just to burn me from the inside out.”

“And now you know I felt when I walked out of your bedroom this morning.”

“Oh.”

* * *

 

“Teddy. James. I need to talk to you.”

Teddy knew what was coming. The long-awaited you two can be together talk. It was December 30th, and he and James had been doing a lot of cuddling in the last few days. Completely innocent, not like Arthur and Scorpius, cuddling. In Teddy’s bed, because Dominique was tired of walking in on the two of them laying together in James’ bed. They had to keep Teddy’s door opened whenever they were both in there, but it was worth it.

“Dad. Stop. Please.”

Teddy looked at James with wide eyes. What was he doing? Dad was just about to give them permission to be together, and James had to interrupt him, now?

“I want to be honest with you. Teddy and I know that we could technically be together right now. We know that we could kiss and stuff, as long as we don’t shag. I heard you and mum talking about it. But we haven’t done anything more than lay together. We wanted you to tell us first.”

Oh. James decided to be honest. That might fuck up a few things.

“I guess I deserve the eavesdropping. And I appreciate that you two haven’t done anything.”

Teddy was dying of suspense. He really wanted to know if he could be with James or not. He knew Mum approved, he just wasn’t sure if Dad approved yet. And it was killing him.

“While I am not entirely happy that you two want to be together, I also do not believe that it is my choice. And I will support whatever choice that you do make. But you must also respect the law.”

James’ face lit up, and as they walked out of the study, Teddy nearly expected James to push him up against the wall, and snog him right there, but all James did was wink at him, before walking away, shutting his bedroom door behind him.

* * *

 

James hadn’t talked to Teddy since the day before. But not because he was upset, because he was excited. He had a plan. It was New Year’s Eve, and everyone knew what happened at midnight. He couldn’t wait to kiss Teddy. But he wanted it to be extra special.

It was nearly midnight already, and everyone was in the living room, watching the telly. He walked over to Teddy, who was taking up half the couch, his legs spread open invitingly. James took a cautionary look at his father, before gently sitting down on Teddy’s leg, that way he would have easy access to Teddy’s lips without outright straddling him, like Arthur was doing to Scorpius just five feet away. The countdown began.

“Ten, nine, eight.”

Teddy’s face was just a couple of inches away now. James asked quietly, “May I kiss you?” He grinned inwardly when Teddy nodded.

“Seven, six, five.”

His hands were around Teddy’s neck now, and he was more comfortably seated in the older boy’s lap. He could feel Teddy’s warm breath on his cheeks, and blushed hotly.

“Four, three, two.”

Their lips were just a breath apart, and when 11:59 switched to 12:00, James closed that distance.

It was better than fireworks.

**Author's Note:**

> MORE IMPORTANT NOTES  
> -*The year is 2021 in the fic, and I'm really hoping Sherlock season five is out by then*  
> -Also, does that last line sort of imply that I am casting myself as Dominique and writing this story as her?


End file.
